


I like you a latte

by mellifluous (TpLoz)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Mutual Pining, Yixing owns a coffee shop, and is a genuine sweetheart, terrible puns, who has a crush on Junmyeon who's a regular!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25282030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TpLoz/pseuds/mellifluous
Summary: Yixing's crushing on a regular at his cafe, but he has no idea what Junmyeon is hiding under all those sweaters.Written for Round 4 of EXO Seasonal.
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 8
Kudos: 67
Collections: Round 4: Spring and Summer





	I like you a latte

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was such a fun prompt to write, and for once I just let loose a bit lmao! Thank you to my prompter for submitting it, I hope you enjoy it! And thank you to the mods for running this amazing fest. It's always such a pleasure to take part!
> 
> Prompt blossom 65: A has a crush on the cute regular at the cafe he owns. He never expected him to look like that under all his sweaters.

Yixing was a chirpy cafe owner; he didn’t see the point in being anything _but_ chirpy and cheery. His customers adored it and he was able to make their days with only a smile and a shout of “Your hair looks AMAZING today, sweetie!” He was truly in his element and never let anything faze him, not even Tao’s sassy remarks or his conspiratorial tone when Yixing’s unofficial favourite regular came into the cafe.

“Hello Yixing!” Junmyeon cheerfully greeted as he entered the cafe, adorned in his trademark cosy sweater as usual. Yixing honestly wasn’t sure how the man could wear that sweater in such hot weather, but he’s sure he had a good reason for it regardless of what Yixing thought. 

“Hello Junmyeon, how are you today?” 

“I’m good! How about you?” 

“I’m good. The coffee shop has been busy and with the new festival in town, I can’t fully espresso my excitement!” replied Yixing. He had a chronic habit of loving puns, but you can’t really blame him for it, when it’s the perfect revenge against Tao. 

Tao groaned from where he had appeared beside Yixing. “Can you please spare my ears for one minute? The puns are seriously making me wish I had decided to work at that law firm, which says a lot seeing as I’m a lawless ruffian. Junmyeon, I am so sorry you have to put up with Yixing and his terrible puns.”

He clapped a hand on Yixing’s shoulder, while Yixing rolled his eyes good-naturedly. 

Junmyeon laughed at their antics, “I’m not quite sure if you qualify as a ‘lawless ruffian’ Tao, besides, I find Yixing’s puns cute.” 

It’s not the first time Junmyeon had said it, but sure enough, it made Yixing blush just the faintest bit. Enough that Tao felt the need to point it out.

“Aw, Junmyeon. You made him blush!” 

Yixing laughed nervously and hip-checked Tao away, and towards the coffee machines. 

“Okay, okay, smart ass. How about you make your hands useful instead of trying to embarrass your boss, hm?” 

Tao waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I can make my hands useful, alright.” 

He winked at Junmyeon before going back to wiping down the counter. Junmyeon raised his brows at Yixing and amusedly asked, “He never changes, does he?” 

Yixing exasperatedly shook his head at Tao and said, “I wouldn’t say it to him, but he is very sweet when he’s not trying to embarrass me in front of the customers.” 

Yixing didn’t mention it, but Junmyeon was the ONLY customer Tao tried to embarrass him in front of. The conversation petered off into Junmyeon’s order and Yixing subsequent calling out his order of “One pumpkin spice latte!” 

“You can take a seat Junmyeon, I’ll bring it over to you,” Yixing said to Junmyeon with a smile.

Most coffee shops use buzzers these days to avoid order confusion and cut down on the work for the employees but Yixing is almost always at the cafe so he prefers to bring the drinks to the customers himself. It lets him talk to regulars a bit if they seem willing for conversation. And also lets him converse with tourists, who are plentiful in the area because of the beach nearby. 

  
  
  


It was a quiet time of the day where a gentle lull took over the cafe and Yixing was almost swayed into a doze, or he would have been if Junmyeon wasn’t here. The man had an incomprehensible effect on Yixing that was actually comprehensible to anyone but Yixing. Tao had explained many times that Yixing is simply smitten with Junmyeon and therefore his monkey brain wanted to impress the jumper-wearing man. 

Simple. Yes. Yixing was sure it was to anyone other than him. 

Oh, how his mind complicates things. 

All of Yixing’s friends know how to date and yet there was obviously no subconscious passing of this information between them, otherwise Yixing would not be freaking out about this in the cafe he OWNED for god's sake! 

If Yixing could explain the feeling he got whenever he saw Junmyeon, he imagined that the other person would imagine a puppy peeing itself in excitement. He had to admit though; that was an adorable analogy and lightened his mood a bit. 

Tao’s voice gently knocked Yixing from his musings as Tao explained to Yixing that Junmyeon’s drink was ready. 

Yixing nodded and thanked the barista, bracing himself for more! exciting! conversation! with Junmyeon! He silently prayed he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

  
  


Yixing prayers didn’t work, evidently. 

  
  


He had approached Junmyeon’s table and was just placing his coffee cup down on the table when a student bumbled into the shop and oh so conveniently bumped into Yixing, knocking the coffee cup from his hand. The coffee covered Junmyeon’s jumper (SPICY) and he jumped up from his seat with a shout, which is, of course, a very typical thing to do when you get coffee spilled on your lap. Yixing knew, and yet he shrivelled at the shout from embarrassment. 

He didn’t let it stop him from helping though, as he yelled in panic, “I’ll lead you to the restroom!” and, while muttering “oh dear, oh dear, oh dear” under his breath, he guided Junmyeon to the staff restroom. 

They reached the restroom and Yixing grabbed some paper towel in a rush, his hands fumbling as he ran it under the cold water tap. 

Junmyeon placed his hands on Yixing’s and said, soothingly, “Hey, it’s okay. The coffee was warm, not hot.” 

Yixing frowned at him, saying, “Ah but I- I dropped it on you… and it must have hurt, even if it was only warm.” Yixing sighed at himself raggedly. 

Junmyeon squeezed his hands lightly, before pulling his sweater off over his head. 

Junmyeon guided Yixing’s hand with the paper towel to his abdomen to wipe off the cooling coffee, to soothe the red skin and Yixing nearly died right there and then. His breath had caught in his throat at the sight of Junmyeon’s defined abdominal muscles, which were glistening with drying coffee and water from the wet towel. 

Yixing could hardly believe that Junmyeon had been hiding these under those sweaters all this time. His brain short-circuited as Junmyeon still held his hand and moved it in a back and forth motion. 

When Tao found out (and he would, the man was able to weasel anything from Yixing) he was going to be flabbergasted, but oh lord would the teasing be worse than ever for sure. 

Junmyeon looked at Yixing through his eyelashes. “So, do you do this for all your customers that you find cute?” asked Junmyeon. 

Yixing coughed a little in embarrassment, and bravely replied in a small voice, “Only you.” 

Junmyeon stopped moving Yixing’s hand and Yixing faintly noticed how warm and soft Junmyeon’s hand felt holding his. They were so close, breathing the same air in the small, dimly lit room. Junmyeon’s eyes sparkled at Yixing’s admission, and Yixing watched his lips move as he asked, “Would you mind if I kissed you Yixing?” 

Yixing raised his gaze from Junmyeon’s lips. He licked his lips and Junmyeon’s hooded eyes followed the motion. 

Yixing rasped out, “No, I wouldn’t.” 

Junmyeon closed the distance between them. The kiss made Yixing’s body tingle, the feeling of Junmyeon’s lips, Junmyeon's hand moving across his ribcage to Yixing’s back. The coffee-spilling incident was forgotten, as Junmyeon bit Yixing’s lip. 

Yixing gasped as sparks flew across his lip. The aimless wanderings of his mind had never lived up to the real thing. Kissing Junmyeon felt like a dream, but a dream that was all too real. 

They broke apart at the sound of a knock on the door. A voice all too familiar spoke through the door, “Uh, boss? You okay in there? A crowd of people just came in and I would try to serve them by myself but - ah… we know how that went last time.” 

Yixing cleared his throat and replied, “I’ll be right there Tao!” He looked back at Junmyeon, who gave him a small smile with red, flushed lips. 

“Go ahead. I’ll finish cleaning off the coffee.” 

“Oh… do you need a clean t-shirt?” asked Yixing, gesturing to the soiled one that littered the floor. 

Junmyeon grinned and shook his head. “I have a spare in my bag! It’s my lifeguard top, but I’m sure no one will mind.” Junmyeon brought his hand to scratch at the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “Although… Do you have a hoodie or sweater I could borrow? The aircon really makes me cold, and I don’t want to get sick.” 

Yixing was sure his winter hoodie was in the cafe somewhere, he often forgot to bring it home because the heat of the day that lingered at night erased any need for it. Yixing nodded an affirmative and went to fetch Junmyeon’s bag from his table and the hoodie that was draped over a chair in the storeroom, all while apologising to Tao who looked very flustered for a ‘ruffian’. 

When Yixing returned, Junmyeon’s eyes lit up and thanks spilled from his lips as he stopped rubbing his arms to warm them up. 

Yixing slipped away from the bathroom to let Junmyeon change with a phantom pressure still gracing his lips from their kiss. The kiss was almost forgotten about at the sight of the line reaching from the counter to the door, but Yixing remembered it every-so-often. And it lingered in his mind for the rest of the day after he saw Junmyeon leave the cafe after the man had finished his last drop of coffee. 

Yixing tried not to blush at how good his hoodie looked on Junmyeon, but Tao’s teasing at the sight of his pink cheeks and Junmyeon wearing Yixing’s hoodie let him know that he failed.

* * *

“I _knew_ you were up to something, you sly dog!” Tao exclaimed, eyes bright and shiny as his mind undoubtedly conjured up images of Yixing and Junmyeon kissing in the small, very unsexy, staff bathroom. 

Yixing cursed his loose mouth because now Tao would never drop it and Yixing would never be able to forget that moment, although he didn’t need Tao’s teasing to remind him of it. The images and sensations had busted their way into his consciousness during the most inappropriate times, especially while he took orders which left his customers worried. He’d lost count of the number of times he had heard “You must be working so hard, Yixing. Make sure to take a break!” or some other variation the past week. 

Junmyeon hadn’t come often though, which Yixing felt equal parts relieved and disappointed by. Did he regret it? The thought gave Yixing a sour taste in his mouth. Junmyeon returned the hoodie, but Yixing hadn’t been there to receive it or to even talk to Junmyeon. 

Eventually, after everything had thoroughly stewed inside his head, Yixing expressed his concerns to Tao, which is why he had to tell his employee, and friend, about the kiss, and Tao had answered, “Maybe he’s nervous. I don’t think he’d kiss you for nothing, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person to do that.” 

They’d mulled over what Yixing could do about it over tea after closing time that night. 

Yixing felt a bit cornered and yet also more confident, somehow. He easily became flustered by the teasing from Tao (usually about Junmyeon) and at Junmyeon’s smiles that he’d direct at Yixing, but if Junmyeon was nervous about coming here, then he must care about their relationship, however small it was. 

“Oh! You should go to him!” Tao’s solution confused Yixing who merely blinked instead of sharing the excitement, so Tao huffed lightly and explained, “He’s a lifeguard! You can have a beach day, show off your beautiful, fit body and also say hi.” 

Yixing wasn’t certain if it would work, but it sure beats staying at the coffee shop with his head in his hands waiting for Junmyeon to come to him.

* * *

The first beach outing amounted to nothing, other than a pink, stinging sunburn and sand in _everything_. It didn’t help that the beach was thick with people; there was barely room for Yixing’s towel. So, Yixing felt even worse about this plan, especially because being at the beach alone wasn’t fun with so many people around you. 

Maybe this was why Junmyeon hadn’t ventured into the coffee shop in a while, because he’d definitely have his hands full here. 

  
  


Yixing tried again, but the second and third time yielded no results; there were so many lifeguards and all of them wore sunglasses and the same uniform that Junmyeon wore. He wanted to give up, he already had deep down. 

  
  


After work one evening he drifted to the beach, it wasn’t far away and the waves were known to calm unsteady hearts. Yixing had already resigned himself to the fact that everything he owned would have sand either in it or on it with no victories, and so he found himself lying on the sand without a towel underneath him. He stared up at the evening sky that was red blossoming into navy, the sun almost gone. 

At least the coffee shop was doing well, his friendly disposition and beautifully roasted coffee kept people wanting more, all except one it would seem. Yixing tried very hard to not let his heartache at the thought. It seemed like Junmyeon and him had been dancing around each other all this time, looking back in his mind, Yixing remembered Junmyeon thanking him with a hand on his shoulder, or a smile that was reserved for Yixing, or words that hinted at _something_ that Yixing misread.

  
  


Yixing desperately wished he had acted sooner on his feelings with Junmyeon.

  
  


Said person popped into view and Yixing thought he must be dreaming. 

“Stargazing?” asked Junmyeon, staring down at Yixing with a lazy, tired grin. The fading red in the sky made his hair glow crimson, and his eyes sparkle. 

“Yeah,” said Yixing, breathily. His answer implied more, and even in his tired-looking state Junmyeon seemed to catch on. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” asked Junmyeon. 

Yixing gave an answering nod and sat up, using his hand to shake the sand off the back of his head. There would no doubt still be sand stuck in his hair, but he shook the worst of it away. 

“Haven’t seen you in the coffee shop much lately,” mentioned Yixing lamely, he knew he was cutting straight to the chase, but he didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t lead to ‘Can I kiss you again?’. 

“Yeah, I- I have no excuse for that other than the beaches being full, and well, the kiss.” 

Yixing’s heart sunk. Does that mean he regrets it? 

“No! I- Please, don’t look sad. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to kiss me. I sprung it on you so suddenly, and I was worried that I made you uncomfortable,” Junmyeon explained quickly as if he was panicked. 

“I liked the kiss.” Junmyeon gaped as Yixing interrupted him before he was able to ramble some more. “I was happy that you kissed me…” 

Yixing drew his finger through the sand between his legs to quell his nerves. Hearing Junmyeon’s worries made it clearer why he hadn’t come to the coffee shop much, and Yixing regretted that he had to leave so quickly after their kiss. 

Yixing realised that Junmyeon wasn’t speaking and lifted his head to check if he’d left, but instead of seeing an empty spot in the sand, he faced a reverent gaze on Junmyeon’s face. 

“What-?” 

“Can I kiss you again?” 

“Please.” 

That one small word brought Junmyeon’s lips to Yixing’s and Yixing gasped at the familiar warmth and softness that he never thought he’d get to feel again. Like the last kiss, it ended too soon, but Yixing refused for that to be the only one and kissed Junmyeon again and again. 

His fingers twisted into Junmyeon’s tacky blue sweater as Junmyeon’s hand threaded itself into Yixing’s sandy hair. It was so perfect and Yixing never wanted it to end. The kiss(es) broke eventually though, and Junmyeon whispered against Yixing’s lips, “Bless that man who bumped into you and made you spill coffee on me,” which made them both devolve into giggles. 

Yixing definitely shared the sentiment and sent a silent ‘thank you’ to Sehun, Tao’s boyfriend who may or may not have done it on purpose. Even if it was purposely done, Yixing didn’t mind because it got him a kiss, which led to many more kisses. And those kisses led to having a beautiful and gorgeous boyfriend.

  
  
  
  


To the many devoted patrons, Yixing seemed even happier in the coffee shop these days, and it was all explained when Junmyeon walked in and kissed Yixing on the cheek.

“Kisses won’t buy you coffees, so don’t even try,” said Yixing as Junmyeon kissed his cheek again and again.

Junmyeon pouted. “But I wore the sweater you knitted me today!”

  
  
  
  
  


Yixing still doesn’t understand how Junmyeon can wear sweaters in the heavy heat of summer, even if he says the air conditioning makes him cold, but even so, the man was an anomaly that he’d take his time figuring out.


End file.
